Flash (Wally West)
History Origin Wally West was born to Rudolph and Mary West in Blue Valley, Nebraska. Wally would often daydream as a child, oftenly about the Flash, whom he idolized. He was the president and sole member of the Blue Valley Flash Fan Club, and his parents believed that he was enabling himself for failure. Wally grew hurt thanks to his parents' lack of faith in him. Wally went off to live with his Aunt Iris in Central City for a summer. At a family reunion, Wally spilled soda and was yelled at by his father for his carelessness. Wally ran to his room in tears, where who appeared to be his uncle came in and encouraged him to not give up on his dreams. Kid Flash During the summer when he was 10 years old, Wally went to Central City to stay with his Aunt Iris. Iris was going out with Barry Allen, a police scientist who was "friends" with Flash. Barry introduced Wally to the Flash. In the back of Barry's apartment was a miniature lab, which is where Wally asked the Flash questions. Wally asked Flash how he got his powers, and it turned out that Barry had his chemicals set up the same as on the day where he had the accident that turned him into Flash. Wally wished that something similar was able to happen to him, but Barry dismissed the thought. However, the weather that day was stormy, and at that moment, lightning struck Barry's cabinet, bathing him in chemicals that had created the Flash. Flash told Wally to keep his powers a secret, even from his Aunt Iris. He then gave Wally a Flash costume to fit him, and Wally took up the mantle of Kid Flash. 'Flash taught Wally everything he knew about his powers and the rogues gallery that would come after him. After Wally conquered a fear of fire, Wally faced his first criminal, one who went by Mister Element, who was attacking the Art Museum. Kid Flash followed Element to home of Waard Wellington Weaver, where he apprehended the villain and turned him in to the police. The summer after, Barry told Wally that he was the Flash, which surprised Wally; Wally had always thought that Barry was slightly boring. Lightning struck once more, causing a machine to transform Wally's costume into a dominantly yellow design. Wally also joined the Teen Titans, and attended a University with hopes of a doctorate degree in physics. Wally met Hal Jordan, the Green Lantern of Earth. He became Hal's friend, just as his uncle Barry and the Flash had been. Thanks to the fact that Wally was struck by lightning as a kid rather than adult, Wally's body was affected differently than Barry's. Though he got through the pain that the speed force caused the summer after obtaining his powers, when adolescence hit, the pain came back. This resulted in Wally quitting his super-heroic career. The New Flash After Barry Allen sacrificed his life to destroy the Anti-Monitor's antimatter cannon, an antimatter ray hit Wally at full force. It slowed down Wally's speed, but removed the pain that the speed force caused him. Wally took Barry's uniform and declared himself the New Flash. Wally believed that Barry was somehow still alive, despite everybody else doubting this. The people weren't pleased with Wally's attempts to become the new Flash. After being embarassed in a fight, Wally went back to his Kid Flash costume until he realized that Barry wasn't coming back. He went on to save Green Lantern and Jay Garrick from Doctor Alchemy. Wally was forced to overcome his fear of being abandoned. His anger was stronger than all of the ideals and values that Barry had taught to him, and he acted rude and immature for a while. These mental blocks slowed Wally down until eventually, his speed disappeared. He gained the need to consume large amounts of food after using his powers. Wally went on to win six and a half million dottors in the lottery, allowing him to leave his apartment and buy a mansion. Wally eventually lost all of his money in the stock market and was forced to move into a new apartment. After an alien invasion of Earth, the aliens set off a bomb that rid Wally of his superspeed. Wally's Friends then set up a device to restore Wally's powers, but with this new speed, he caused a large, deep trench across America. His new speed aura was starving him and affecting his brain. He grew spines and was confused for a local myth known as the Porcupine Man. However, a friend known as Chunk was able to restore Wally back to well being. Keystone City Wally decided to move to Keystone City, a location reccommended by Joan Garrick. In Keystone, Wally started to date a reporter named Linda Park whom he had met during his Porcupine Man incident. Barry seemingly had returned from the dead, and Wally didn't know what to think about that. Jay Garrick and Hal Jordan embraced Barry's return, but Wally was skeptical because of the fact that he wasn't speaking of Iris, who had died at the hands of Professor Zoom. However, Wally was convinced when he saw Barry visit Iris' grave. Barry then began to act irrationally due to the fact that he wanted to be the only Flash, and left Wally to die in a Combine trap. Barry lied and said that Wally had died trying to be a hero. Wally had actually escaped, but saw Barry speak badly of him and decided to give up the Flash identity. He only told Linda that he was still alive. Wally found a book in an alleyway that revealed the truth: Barry was being impersonated by Eobard Thawne, also known as Professor Zoom. With the help of other speedsters, Wally managed to take Zoom down in a fight, where he came to the realization that to be as fast as Zoom, he had to come to terms with the fact that he must replace Barry. An employee who was harmed during a fight between Wally and Razer attempted to sue the Flash. Though Wally won the court case, he was furious that he wasn't able to help the women and ended up being frozen in time thanks to taking a dosage of speed formula. Johnny Quick was able to pull him back and teach him a valuable lesson: he can't be everywhere at once. Establishing His Own Legacy Wally's Aunt Iris, who was believed to be dead, returned from the future, which is where she was actually sent. Iris was also not alone in her return; she brought with her Bart Allen, a speedster who was her and Barry Allen's grandson. His powers were causing his aging to accelerate, to the point where he would be dead before he reached his 4th birthday. He was only two years old, but had the body and mental capacity of a twelve-year old. Wally stabilized Bart's speed, but the two of them didn't get along. Bart then became a speedster hero, but laughed at the idea of going by Kid Flash. He instead dubbed himself ''Impulse. When Hal Jordan had seemingly gone mad, he was replaced as Green Lantern by Kyle Rayner, who took Hal's place just as Wally had taken Barry's. Wally, thanks to having fond memories of Hal, started out with a disliking towards Rayner. He was more critical of Rayner than any other hero, and wondered whether or not Rayner was good enough to replace Jordan. However, the two of them overcame their differences and became very close friends. Wally was seemingly killed while attempting to help Rip Hunter save the 64th Century, and was flung backwards into time, where he was invisible and intangible and watched the most important parts of his life. He then became solid matter again at his West Family Reunion, where he turned out to be the 'uncle' that had given him a pep-talk encouraging him to not give up on his dreams. He then returned to the present, but not before he had witnessed his death as well as Linda's at the hands of Kobra. Wally was scared for Linda and attempted to stop Kobra as soon as possible. He hid the information he knew from Linda as long as possible. Wally, in a fit of rage, raced home and turned into pure energy after Bart had ruined his plans against Kobra. It subsided, but continued to happen again. Wally attempted to stop Kobra once more, but realized it would most likely cost him his life. He asked Jesse Quick to take over the mantle of Flash for him, should he die. However, this was just a ploy to make Bart jealous and cause him to become more serious about his legacy. Wally assumed he had averted the crisis by saving Linda from Kobra's laser, but didn't expect the crisis to play out again. He had to go beyond light to see her, and ended up entering the speed force. He traded her fate for what he thought would be his, but still managed to return from the Speed Force. Upon his return, he quickly defeated Kobra. The trip beyond light allowed Wally to be able to tap into the Speed Force and manifest new abilities. Race Against Time! Wally had vanished in an attempt to not allow the Speed Force to absorb him. Previously, Wally had been able to use Linda as a beacon to find his way home. However, in his last jump, Wally was unable to make it home right away and bounced through time. He first ended up in the 64th century, where the citizens worshiped the Flash. He then appeared in the mid-30th Century, where he met his twin first cousins. After he helped them reclaim their legacy, Wally time jumped again and landed in the 27th century, where he met John Fox, the Flash of that era. Wally told John what he knew about time travel, and realized that he couldn't remember Linda's name. The time-travelling villain Chronos then appeared, attempting to take down both Flashes. After defeating Chronos, John informed Wally of his loved ones name: Linda. Wally then attempted one last time-jump back to the 20th Century. John then offered to also jump back, worried that Wally would not return in time to prevent a great disaster. John then defeated a villain and fell in love. John lied to Linda and told her that Wally was dead, causing her to attempt to move on. However, when Linda realized that John had lied and that he had also lied about his reason for coming to the 20th Century, Linda told him that she would always love Wally. Wally somehow sensed her words and emerged from the Speed Force, only to realize he was too late. Linda was flash-frozen in an attempted second Ice Age by Polaris and Abra Kadabra. After taking care of the two villains, Wally chanelled the Speed Force to speed up Linda's molecules and thaw her out. Out of Commission While Linda was in India for her birthday with Wally, a new opponent who named themselves The Suit was in Keystone to kill the Flash. Max Mercury and Jay Garrick, the temporary guardians of Keystone in Wally's abscense, found a dead body in an alleyway, which was revealed to be Wally in the future. They then found that The Suit used his time powers to freeze Wally in place. Max explained to Jay and the coroner that Wally put himself into molecular shock to save himself, while Wally raced to the past to perform the same trick. However, an explosion caused by The Suit sent debris everywhere, which hit Wally and caused him to sprain both wrists, crack three ribs, fracture his hip, and break both legs. Wally was confined to a wheelchair and assumed dead by The Suit. He thought up a plan where Max, Jay and Impulse pretendt to be Wally in order to confuse The Suit. Wally then made a golden Speed Force suit by repeating Johnny Quick's speed formula and vibrating in place, which he used to confront The Suit. Wally grabbed The Suit like a thread and unraveled him, revealing it to be an electrical field-based alien who was pulled to Earth by an electrical current. However, The Suit returned and attempted to assimilate Jay. Wally, however, allowed the Suit to assimilate him. Wally then, remembering that anything solid he vibrates through atomizes, destroyed The Suit and it's remnants were absorbed into the Speed Force. When Wally returned home, he found Linda talking and walking bakwards. Mirror Master showed up seeking revenge on Wally, but he turned out to be a hologram. Wally, trying to locate the real Mirror Master, ran through a prism set up by the villain and was split into the seven different colors of the rainbow, each of which posessing a different personality. All seven Flashes ran back through the prism at light speed, causing them to recombine. After an illusion in Mirror World, Wally escaped and confronted Mirror Master, winning and turning him in to the police. During an encounter with the Black Flash, he seemingly claimed the life of Linda. However, Wally rescued her from the Speed Force. He afterwards proposed to her and they soon married, but she disappeared off the face of the Earth and left no one with memories of her. The Dark Flash After Wally vanished into the Speed Force in an encounter with Cobat Blue, a new, mysterious Flash appeared in Keystone. It was revealed Linda's disappearance was caused by a man with a hatred for the Flash. He took her from a time prior to her meeting Wally, causing nobody to remember her. Linda escaped from her prison and landed in an alternate Keystone, where she encountered who seemed to be Wally. However, Keystone police called him 'Walter', and he appeared to be mentally unbalanced. His eyes were also a different color. After once again encountering Walter, Wally emerged from the Speed Force. A battle ensued between Wally and Walter, but Abra Kadabra appeared and trapped both of them. He revealed his plan and explained that her escape and landing in an alternate Keystone allowed Wally to be drawn back to her. In order to defeat the villain, Wally temporarily fused with Walter to gain more speed. Walter also came to terms with not being able to save his Linda from dying. Kadabra faked his defeat and appeared to discorporate Wally and Linda's essences, but they actually ended up traversing through alternate dimensions, nearly going insane, before being found by Bart. When they came back, Linda was still forgotten. He shared his plans to rescue her with Jay, and donned a Reverse-Flash suit and supposedly allied himself with Abra Kadabra and Replicant. He took Jay Garrick, Bart Allen and Jesse Quick to Kadabra's lair, where he taunted Kadabra into reversing his spell on Linda. Professor Zoom then pulled back his cowl, revealing himself as Wally, and Kadabra attempted to use a spell to make everybody forget the Flash legacy. However, the speedsters used mirrors to reflect Kadabra's spell to himself, giving him amnesia. Retirement and Return During Infinite Crisis, Kid Flash, Barry, Max, and Johnny were able to temporarily subdue Superboy-Prime by sending him to the Speed Force. Wally, along with the other speedsters, Linda, and her recently born twins, were sent to an alternate Earth where Jay Garrick operated as the Flash. They ultimately decided to put the Speed Force in Bart and send him back to battle Superboy-Prime. Wally was content on passing the mantle of the Flash on to Bart, as he and Linda had decided to move to alien planet Savoth. They soon discovered that their children rapidly aged. Wally, Linda and their children were called back to Earth by members of the Legion of Super-Heroes. When Wally returned, he took back his portion of the Speed Force from Bart, and practically was one with the Speed Force. He was invited to join the new JLA, as he and Linda moved back to Keystone. Wally soon discovered that the cause of their twins' rapid aging was the Black Flash. He defeated the Black Flash and reverted Jai and Iris to their actual age. Wally then found himself reunited with the Titans to help defeat Trigon. Flash: Rebirth When Orion was murdered, Wally and Jay Garrick investigated, only to find the Secret Society of Super Villains' hideout as well as Metron's chair. They realized that the bullet which had previously killed Orion was sent through time. Barry Allen then suddenly appeared in the room and revealed that he was chasing the bullet through time, but was also being pursued by Black Racer. Wally and Jay joined him in his attempt to save Orion's life, but were too late as Orion was killed. Jay was forced to leave the chase due to his inability to keep up, as Wally and Barry attempt to escape the Black Racer, landing in the future. They visited Aunt Iris' house, only to find that she had been corrupted by the Anti-Life Equation thanks to Darkseid. They managed to use the Black Racer in order to defeat Darkseid by vibrating through Darkseid and having Black Racer crash into him. Superman reunited Wally along with both generations of the Teen Titans in order to reveal that Bart Allen and Barry were ressurected and brought back to the present, which overjoyed Wally. However, Barry was later forced to run into the Speed Force to protect Earth from a beserk Black Flash. Wally chased him into the Speed Force, refusing to let go so quickly. Wally ran deep into the Speed Force before managing to find Barry, Max and a already deceased Johnny. Barry explained that Eobard Thawne had returned and was behind all of it as the three speedsters found themselves out of the Speed Force. As they returned to Earth, they discovered Thawne fighting Jay and Bart. Wally joined in to help attempt defeat him, and the speedsters seemed to have the upper hand. They overwhelmed Thawne, but he managed to seperate Barry and fight him on his own. However, Wally caught up to Barry and helped him to journey to the past in order to stop Thawne from killing Iris. Rebirth Wally was trapped in the Speed Force after the Flashpoint event, where he sensed a presence from outside the universe. He realized that this being was responsible for preventing the timeline from correctly rebooting after Flashpoint, and was also the being responsible for removing a decade from history. Wally repeatedly tried to break free from the Speed Force to warn the Prime Earth heroes of a threat, but none of the heroes remembered him. Just before he had completely faded, Barry Allen remembered him and worked as his anchor, just as Linda had done in the past. Powers and Abilities Powers *'Speed Force Conduit: '''Wally is the fastest of all the Flashes, and is arguably one of the fastest beings to have ever existed. **'Decelerated Aging **'Energy Construct Creation' **'Sharing the Speed Force' **'Steal Speed' **'Speed Force Aura' **'Superhuman Stamina' **'Self-Sustenance' **'Superhuman Speed' **'Infinite Mass Punch' **'Dimensional Travel' **'Regeneration' **'Phasing' **'Flight' **'Increased Perceptions' **'Supercharged Brain Activity' **'Vortex Creations' Abilities *'Hand-to-Hand Combat (Advanced)' *'Mechanical Aptitude' Category:Living Characters Category:Protagonists Category:Male Characters Category:Flashes Category:Metahumans Category:Humans Category:Characters Category:Former Sidekicks Category:Justice League Members Category:Flash Family Members